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Thursday, March 19, 2015

1000th Post: First Ever GIVEAWAY

The GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED.

A winner will be announced shortly.

This post marks my 1000th blog post for $12 a day

started January 2nd of 2011.

I'm celebrating this milestone by doing my very first giveaway.
I'm excited to announce that I have some incredible sponsors who are sharing their exquisitely well crafted artwork and/or small business items with us for this 1000th post giveaway. The sponsors are all friends of mine, several of which make a living off of their small businesses and huge talents.

I started this blog as a journal for my financial journey while I learned (and am still learning) how to kick bad horrible spending habits, acquire savings habits, and enjoy life in the mean time. Essentially this is my frugal journey. I really can't believe how many of you incredible individuals and fellow bloggers have come along with me for this journey. I appreciate all of you and hold you very responsible for, most often silently, standing in the shadows and holding my feet to the fire. I've changed a lot, all for the better these past four years. I truly cannot even imagine where my family and I would be now if I hadn't decided to put my foot down, pull up my big girl pants, and start doing this darn money thing the right way (or at least the better way).

The giveaway is open to anyone and is totally free, meaning you don't have to live in the US to enter and I pay the shipping. But, yes there is a disclaimer, if the winner ends up being someone outside of the US there will be a second place winner as well (Only if the first name drawn is someone outside of the US). I'm afraid the shipping costs for the heavier items wouldn't be doable for me for a winner outside of the US but I didn't want to exclude all the fine overseas folks out there.

The giveaway will be open for a month before I announce the winner on April 21st. There are several ways to enter and anyone can get up to 43 entries.

You can comment on THIS post once a day giving you up to 30 entries. (one for each day)

You can also like each of my sponsor's facebook pages. You will get 2 entries for each page you like, giving you up to an additional 10 entries. Please leave me a comment once you've 'liked' a page letting me know which one(s). The facebook pages of the giveaway sponsors are listed here:

You may also enter by mentioning and linking this giveaway on your own blog. You will receive 3 additional entries for this. (Only redeemable once) If you mention this giveaway on your own blog please also comment back here and leave a link for me to check out your blog.

In total, if you entered every day, liked all the sponsor's facebook pages, and mentioned this giveaway on your own blog you could earn 43 entries.

If you are an anonymous reader you will have to leave a distinguishable name in your comments so I can enter you in the giveaway each time.

Now for the prizes!

The first ever $12 a day giveaway includes 12 fabulous prizes
(well some of them are fabulous anyway).
The ONEwinner of this giveaway will win ALL of these prizes.

The winner of the giveaway will receive this original rectangular ceramic plate with oak leaf imprint created by one of Michigan's top ceramic artists, Brad Patterson.

(that is a standard size business card just to give you an idea of scale)

2.
$5 Starbucks gift card

Starbucks is NOT a sponsor of this blog but as much as I've written about my struggles with purchasing coffee away from home or running out of coffee at home and certainly with as many times as Starbucks has been noted on this blog, a $5 gift card to Starbucks is only fitting.

The winner will receive a set of the wonderfully fragrant hand made vegan artisan soaps from Rock Creek Soaps. The winner will get to choose from many different fragrances offered by Rock Creek Soaps. Some of the fragrances they offer are: Black Raspberry Vanilla, Huckleberry, Lavender, Winter Garden, Bamboo & White Grapefruit, and Aloe & Cucumber; among many!

4.
A box of four Cadbury creme eggs.

This one really needs no explanation. A giveaway from me, near Easter, without Cadbury creme eggs in it would be an absolute fail. (If you win and somehow despise Cadbury eggs I volunteer to eat them all for you) Additionally Cadbury is NOT a sponsor.

This mini facial is from the well renowned Rodan+Fields and includes a microdermabrasion paste that exfoliates with salt and sugar and is packed full of vitamins C and E.

6. & 7.

A dollar store prize chosen by Little Abe along with an original piece of artwork done by him.

Yep, there is a dollar store prize in this giveaway. It could be anything. You'll just have to wait and see what he picks out! Oh, you know you want to enter now, just for this special secret prize. I'll try and keep him away from the toy aisle... "try," that's the key word there.

The winner will get to choose ONE piece of handcrafted jewelry made by the metal smiths at .sprouts. You have the choice between three of their fabulous pieces.

One of their personalized original dog tags, their personalized sterling silver micro state/ country pendant (they will place the heart over where you live (or where your heart resides)), or their beautiful stacked textured five band ring set.

I've pictured the three items below with links to .sprouts. etsy page behind each photo. The winner will get to choose ONE of these items to go along with the 11 other giveaway prizes.

I love these handy hooks and I happen to have a hearty stock that I did not have to pay for.
These three are the ones the winner will receive.
3M is also NOT a sponsor.10.
One high quality original photographic print from Yourgloryreflected art (that's me)

The winner will be able to chose one print from the following three photographs in which ever size they choose 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 or 11x14.
(With or without the logo. The logo is only in place for internet purposes)

The winner of the giveaway will also win ONE of the three t-shirts pictured below in virtually any size you choose. Grow up Awesome prints their original designs on baby onesie's, kids shirts, woman's shirts, and men's shirts. The t-shirts come in a variety of colors as well. You can head over to their website to look at color options and sizes. The Grow up Awesome website is linked under each of the t-shirt photos.

12.
Two year (2015-2016) Purse calendar

A quote by one of my favorite authors on a calendar where you can keep track of your no spend days... quite possibly a perfect ending to the $12 a day first ever GIVEAWAY!

The winner will receive all 12 of these prizes. (Unless outside of the US)

I will have links posted on the blog sidebar to each of my sponsor's websites or facebook pages while the giveaway is open for the month. Please don't hesitate to stop by their sites and check out all of their other wonderful works of art. Keep in mind that many of these items would make great gifts for friends or family.

Anyone who enters can win! You can certainly win with just one entry but it won't hurt your chances to get all 43 entries... it'll just be a bit more work for me, HAHA!

Thank-you again for reading all these years.

I truly appreciate you all! And a huge thanks to all the sponsors for this giveaway.

I love the "Books are Rad" shirt - my daughter has a t-shirt she got that has all kinds of literary figures sitting on shelves (robin hood, cheshire cat, etc....about 10 of them) which I L-O-V-E but they don't make it any more & hers would NEVER fit me....maybe this one will do if I get lucky :)

Hey Sue, I know it's you but in case another Sue starts commenting can you leave something identifiable in each comment? It could be anything really as long as you end with it each time. A phrase, a silly saying... I've seen other unregistered Sue's and I don't want to take any chances here.

This is my first giveaway you know, I'm new to this sort of thing. Thank-you!

Wow! I TOTALLY prefer film but I reluctantly made the switch to digital a long time ago due to cost :( Digital is a billion times cheaper than film.

I shoot with a pretty basic Canon SLR (I bought it on clearance years back) so I can set it to manual and adjust the lens myself if I want to. You can put it on complete manual and adjust the Fstops, focus, and all that jazz too. I switch around depending on what I'm shooting.

There are some great digital cameras now that he might really like to shoot with but film will ALWAYS be superior (in my opinion).

You should definitely try handmade soap if you have dry skin. I made the switch from my regular brands (Zest, Caress, etc.) and am so glad I did. Using goat's milk soap and a good body cream has really helped my eczema flare ups.

daily entry! love your posts on "normal" - my husband and I call it "the story" - everybody tells themselves a story about how life should be - like how buying cases of plastic water is necessary and frugal - or must pay private school tuition but not home owner association dues because they dont like the HOA). Normal isn't any fun. BTW - how is Abe coming on his artwork gift?!

I liked your post about the guy who fritters all his $ away then can't travel. I truly believe we all get the life we deserve.....if you don't make priorities in your life and focus you end up frittering away your days on the mundane. Even if people don't consciously make priorities how they end up spending their money shows us their priorities.

I think you are too hard on yourself regarding money. Seems from your post you worry more than dh and watch really well with your spending. I too stayed home and can't tell you how many times my sister told me she could never afford to stay home when her kids were little. Sure she couldn't, she goes on three vacations a year and buy what she wants, when she wants, without a thought to cost. Cheryl

Daily Entry--When we moved to PA in 1986 we lived in a gated community bordering a state forest with very few full year residents(very few seasonal residents either come to think of it). It was sort of like unplugging from the world there......before the internet was available, no tv reception and we couldn't afford cable. I lived in a little house in the woods on 1.3 acres surrounded by wildlife and forests. We drove an hour to get to the grocery store so I trip a week(or a trip every 2 weeks) and we had to make due if we ran out of anything. I hardly ever shopped for "stuff" then either. We got a woodstove as soon as we could afford to have one put in and heated the house that way. No a/c except for 1 window unit after we'd been there 8 years. I have a huge garden which we put in despite the rocky mountain soil. No lawn tho to speak of. We spent a lot of time outside and I sewed my own clothing and had a small home business. There was lots of quiet and I felt at peace back then. I commend you for wanting to "go Thoreau".

That sounds very much like an adventure indeed!:)I've been wanting to "go Thoreau" for years. My husband would loose his mind if we actually moved out to nature in a small home but I can still do it in my own little ways. Like ways you said, garden, don't buy stop, sew things, you know.

Awesome! I liked all of the pages (although Brad's page was previously liked) and I shared this to my facebook page. I don't know if that counts, but I wanted to do it anyway. 😉 thanks a bunch! -julie baldwin

My Easter was nice and relaxed :)I did not eat the eggs, haha but I'll tell you the honest truth I woke up one morning recently almost having a panic attack thinking there was a possibility my husband got into the bag and ate the eggs (since I left the bag sitting on the dining room buffet and he would not have known why they were there). They are not in any stores around here anymore so I would have been in trouble if they were gone.